Zappa's earliest influences were 1950s pop and rock (such as doo-wop and rhythm and blues), and 20th-century classical composers including Igor Stravinsky and Edgard Varèse. His output was divided between adventurous instrumental compositions and succinct, catchy rock songs with ribald, satirical, or comically absurd lyrics. On stage he demanded virtuosity and spontaneity from his musicians, and employed many performers who would later go on to achieve fame in their own rights. He directed and released a number of films featuring himself, his musicians and entourage, including 200 Motels and Baby Snakes.
His career started in 1955. His earliest recordings date from the mid-1960s, and include collaborations with his school friend Captain Beefheart. In 1965 he joined a bar-band called The Soul Giants, quickly dominating its musical direction and rechristening it The Mothers. Their first release (as The Mothers of Invention; the name alteration requested by their record company) was the 1966 double album Freak Out!. The line-up of the Mothers gradually expanded to accommodate Zappa's increasingly ambitious and avant-garde music, but by 1969 he decided to work outside the band structure, focusing on his solo career, and effectively disbanding the Mothers in 1971.
The beginnings of his solo career in the late sixties and early seventies was characterised by a strong free jazz influence, with albums containing little, if any, lyrical content, such as Hot Rats, Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo. Towards the mid-seventies his albums became more rock-orientated, with a combination of Jazz Fusion instrumentation and Rock song structures. This more accessible sound bore reasonable mainstream appeal, especially with the release of the well-advertised albums Over-Nite Sensation and Apostrophe (') (which both went Gold), but Zappa's unpredictably eclectic output never led to solid mainstream recognition. He received uniformly lukewarm reviews from popular music publications such as Rolling Stone throughout his career. In his late seventies' output, the gulf between his humorous songs and more lengthy, complex instrumental music widened, and albums, such as Zappa in New York, Joe's Garage: Acts I, II & III, and Sleep Dirt displayed, by track, both sides firmly segregated.
Zappa saw a second run of success in the early eighties with the release of many albums with predominantly comedic rock songs, but later continued to experiment with virtually every style of music through the eighties, and was productive as ever until his death. His output in this later-career period included two albums of strikingly original classical music with the London Symphony Orchestra, an electronic take on 18th-century chamber music (written by the obscure Italian composer 'Francesco Zappa', no relation), an album of Synclavier compositions (misleadingly titled Jazz From Hell which garnered a Grammy award), a double-CD release of electric guitar instrumental music (the laconically titled Guitar) and a plenitude of official live releases, revisiting fan-favourites as well as showcasing Zappa's talent for reinventing the music of others; his version of Stairway to Heaven becoming a word-of-mouth favourite.
Zappa produced almost all of his own albums, spending many hours in the studio recording and manipulating tracks, and was always at the forefront of emerging technologies; from tape editing, collage, multitrack and overdubbing in the sixties to digital recording, electronic instruments and sampling in the eighties. Conversely, Zappa was also a obsessive self-archivist, recording virtually every one of his live performances, and often using live recordings of new material without needing to enter the studio. The archive of tapes at his family home in Los Angeles continues to be a source of posthumous releases for the Zappa Family Trust. He was also noted as a spotter of talent and his shifting line-up of musicians included Lowell George, Jean-Luc Ponty, Terry Bozzio, Chad Wackerman, George Duke, Mike Keneally, Adrian Belew and Steve Vai, as well as giving Alice Cooper his first break in music and working again with his old collaborator Captain Beefheart when his career was in decline.
In the late 1980s he became active in politics, campaigning against the PMRC's music censorship scheme and acting as culture and trade representative for Czechoslovakia in 1989; and considered running as an independent candidate for president of the US.
His death in Los Angeles, California, on 4th December 1993 came three years after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Amnerika Goes Home
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Hope you enjoy it)
I tired to find how my heart could be so blind,
Dear
How could I be fooled just like the rest
You came on strong with your
Fast car and your class ring
I fell for the whole thing
I don't regret for having met
Up with a girl who breaks hearts
Like they were nothing at all
I've done it too
Now I know just what it feels like
And just like I said I have no regrets
Well it's about time to close
I hope you've had as much fun as we have!
Don't forget the jam session Sunday!
Mandy tension will be by, playing his xylophone troupe!
It'll be a lot of fun!
Monday night is the dance contest night
Twist contest!
We give away ah
Peanut butter and jelly!
There'll be sandwiches for all of you
I hope we've played your requests
The songs you like to hear
Last call for alcohol!
Drink it up folks
Wonderful!
Nice to see you bob, how's it going?
How's your kids?
Wonderful!
Nice to see you, yes
Oh, bill bailey?
Ah we'll get to that to- morrow night
Caravan with a drum solo?
Right!
We'll do that!
Wonderful!
Nice to see you again!
Yeah! La, la, la
Down at the pompadour a-go-go!
Vo-do-de-oo-pee-pee
Shoobe-doot 'n-dadada, ada-da-dahhh
Nya-da-da, nya-da-da
'Nite all!
Frank Zappa's "America Drinks & Goes Home" is a satirical song that critiques the partying culture of America. The lyrics speak from the perspective of a man who is trying to come to terms with his own heartbreak after being fooled by a girl who broke his heart. He admits that he fell for her fast car, class ring, and sad eyes, and that he doesn't regret having met her. The song highlights the irony of his situation and draws attention to his own frivolous lifestyle. The repetition of phrases like "drink it up folks" and "last call for alcohol" creates a sense of ritualistic indulgence that mirrors the societal norms of excessive drinking and partying in America.
The latter half of the lyrics focuses on a party announcement, which is also done in a sarcastic tone. The seemingly upbeat announcement is riddled with phrases that ridicule the triviality of party culture. The mention of a "jam session Sunday," a "twist contest" with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as prizes, and a "caravan with a drum solo" all make fun of the superficiality of party entertainment. The song concludes with a sense of finality, as if to suggest that the partygoers are escaping from their mundane lives by indulging in reckless behaviour.
Overall, the song is a subversive commentary on American culture and the partying scene. It uses irony and sarcasm to highlight the futility and superficiality of indulging in excesses and serves as a reminder of the necessity to look beyond societal norms and expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
I tired to find how my heart could be so blind,
I tried to understand why I fell for your tricks
Dear
(Term of endearment)
How could I be fooled just like the rest
I can't believe I fell for your act like everyone else
You came on strong with your
You tried to impress me with your
Fast car and your class ring
Your fancy car and high school ring (symbols of status)
Sad eyes and your
You acted vulnerable and
I fell for the whole thing
I believed your act completely
I don't regret for having met
I don't regret meeting you
Up with a girl who breaks hearts
Even though you're a heartbreaker
Like they were nothing at all
And you act like it's no big deal
I've done it too
I've broken hearts too
Now I know just what it feels like
So now I understand how it feels
And just like I said I have no regrets
And I stand by my previous statement that I have no regrets
Well it's about time to close
The night is coming to an end
I hope you've had as much fun as we have!
I hope you enjoyed yourself as much as we did
Don't forget the jam session Sunday!
Remember the music event on Sunday
Mandy tension will be by, playing his xylophone troupe!
Mandy Tension and his xylophone band will perform
It'll be a lot of fun!
It'll be very enjoyable
Monday night is the dance contest night
Monday is the night for the dance competition
Twist contest!
It's a twist dance contest
We give away ah
We offer as prizes
Peanut butter and jelly!
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
There'll be sandwiches for all of you
Everyone can have a sandwich
I hope we've played your requests
I hope we played the songs you wanted to hear
The songs you like to hear
Your favorite songs
Last call for alcohol!
This is the final chance to order drinks
Drink it up folks
Finish your drinks
Wonderful!
Great!
Nice to see you bob, how's it going?
Hello Bob, how are you?
How's your kids?
How are your children?
Wonderful!
Great!
Nice to see you, yes
Nice to see you too
Oh, bill bailey?
You want to hear Bill Bailey's song?
Ah we'll get to that to- morrow night
We'll play it tomorrow night
Caravan with a drum solo?
You want to hear Caravan with a drum solo?
Right!
Okay!
Wonderful!
Great!
Nice to see you again!
It's good to see you again
Yeah! La, la, la
(Singing)
Down at the pompadour a-go-go!
At the Pompadour a-go-go club
Vo-do-de-oo-pee-pee
(Singing scat)
Shoobe-doot 'n-dadada, ada-da-dahhh
(Singing scat)
Nya-da-da, nya-da-da
(Singing scat)
'Nite all!
Goodnight everyone!
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Zappa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind